APC members accuse caretaker chair of fraud

Aggrieved stakeholders of the All Progressives (APC) in Ondo East Local Government Area have accused the chairman of caretaker committee of the local government, Ayodeji Akinkuolie, of financial impropriety.

A petition by 16 APC chieftains to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu accused Akinkuolie of gross abuse of office, misappropriation of funds and unauthorised disbursement of N8.9 million party funds into his personal account.

Copies of the petition were sent to Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ifedayo Abegunde, APC State Chairman Ade Adetimehin and others.

They urged the governor to promptly investigate the matter to correct the smeared image of the local government.

The party leaders said the caretaker chairman, on assumption of office last year, allegedly refused to disclose the statement of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and other accounts.

They also accused Akinkuolie of illegal diversion of approved funds for the execution of projects in the local government.

The petition reads: “Against all norms, the chairman of the IGR committee, thereby using his position to illegally enrich himself by appointing his cronies as consultants and revenue collectors.

“He also made unauthorised disbursement of N8.9 million to his personal account, which is against his oath of office.”

The party chieftains demanded to know the finances of the local government.

They urged Akeredolu to set up an independent probe panel on the activities of the caretaker chairman to prevent mass protest by stakeholders.

But Akinkuolie said the money in question was not given to Ondo East in isolation but to all other local government areas.

He said: “I put it in my personal account but started to withdraw it the following day for what it was meant. There is no law that says I can’t put the money in my account.”

The council chief maintained that his refusal to release the statement of account of the local government was none of the petitioners’ business.